Gratitude Changes YouSample

Paul was grateful for the relationships in his life. In his letters to the Christians in Philippi, Thessalonica, and to Timothy, he explicitly gives thanks for those relationships. Despite the many challenges and suffering Paul experienced along the way, he found time to think of others and let them know how much he appreciated them. He didn’t permit his own circumstances to move him toward selfishness. His gratitude kept him focused on others.

A grateful heart can set us free from the tyranny of self-centeredness. By definition, self-centered people are constantly looking out for number one. “I’ve got to look out for me, because nobody else is going to do it!” Deep down inside, a self-centered person isn’t even sure that God will look out for them because they have systematically excluded him and everyone else from their lives. Eventually, they find themselves alone, and sooner or later, that is a recipe for anxiety. As we said in the last reading, God didn’t create us to live in isolation but in a relationship with him and others. When that fundamental aspect of our human-ness is absent, anxiety and fear can come on like a bandit.

A grateful person recognizes that everything I am and have comes from God. Gratitude helps me understand I don’t have to be consumed with myself and taking care of all my needs because the process of giving thanks helps me see that he will take care of my needs. And when I don’t have to spend all my time worrying about me, I am free to be concerned about you and to be in a relationship with you!'

Where can a grateful heart move you away from selfishness and toward more meaningful relationships?